A Fish-Catching Smartphone Accessory — It’s About Time

Baller fishing. Photo: Friday Lab

Many of us will spend Sunday fishing with our fathers. Just you and Dad, relaxing by the water, and talking about that time you jumped off the roof and broke your arm. While the conversation may be riveting and chock full of nostalgia, wouldn’t it be nice to actually catch some fish as well?

A smartphone-connected orb could help you do just that.

The Deeper FishFinder is a sonar-enabled waterproof ball that promises to make fishing trips more fruitful. The Bluetooth-enabled device scans the watery depths, and sends underwater topography and fish location information directly to an iOS or Android phone or tablet. The display shows the approximate location of fish with a handy depth chart to help you place your bait in just the right area.

The floating Deeper FishFinder can probe depths up to 120 feet deep, and has a Bluetooth range of 150 feet. Just tie it to a fishing line and toss it in the water. In addition to acting as the display for the orb, the app can be used to post photos of caught fish to Twitter and Facebook.

The Deeper orb is currently in the funding stages on Kickstarter-esque site Indiegogo and is expected to retail for $200 when (and if) it gets funding. Of course, like most Kickstarter campaigns, you can get it cheaper if you throw the team some cash during the funding stage.

While it won’t be ready for this Sunday’s trip with the rod and reel, next year’s fishing excursion could end without the annual trip to the supermarket to buy a trout that you both agree to not “tell mom about.”